If you are anything like me, maybe you have aquired a Chef Randall Turbo Cooker, decided that you love it and now find yourself wondering "Okay, now what else can I make?" After trying out the Turbo Cooker and becoming an instant fan, it quickly became the most used pan in my kitchen. I cook practically every meal in it, and would not cook meat any other way after tasting it made in the Turbo Cooker. If by some chance you HAVEN'T tried it and still found yourself here, let me tell you a little about it.
Initially, I ignored the Turbo Cooker infomercials just as I did most others. I came by my Turbo Cooker quite by accident. I belong to a local Freecycle group and one day someone offered (for free) a Turbo Cooker. I asked for it thinking it was something totally different than what it was, and was quite surprised when I opened the package. (The cooker, BTW, was in new condition, unused and in it's box, but minus the video and recipe cards, and obviously the owner had been as impressed as I initially was with the idea of the Turbo Cooker!) After opening it, I did recall having seen bits and pieces of the informercial from time to time, and the only real knowledge I had of it was that it had the ability to cook more than one item at a time. Interesting, yes, but enough to send me running to the phone to order one? NO WAY. After all, they seemed pretty pricey to me, and how much time and hassle could you really save over using regular pots and pans? Since this one was free, though, I decided to give it a whirl.
In all honesty,the savings in time and hassle really depends on what you are cooking. Some recipes can save you significant time and really minimize cleanup, while the difference between others and traditional cooking methods is negligible. The pros are that for much of your cooking, it can save you time, the cooker cleans up very easily, and you don't have to use oil...a BIG plus in my book. The cons...I really haven't found any with the exception of the size. Mine is the original and the big handle makes it a bit tricky to store, and it takes up a lot of room on the stove top so if you want to cook other things at the same time, that can be a problem. Not enough to sway me from using it, though.
The Turbo Cooker cooks/steams using the unique design of the pan and domed lid to create a patented process called SteamCooking™, similar to that of a convection oven. You can read more about it here: http://www.steamfrying.com/?idpage=1560
While that process does cook food faster, at times with the Turbo Cooker the shifting of food, opening and closing the lid and watching the water levels can seem daunting at first. After spending some time reading reviews and comments about the product, my personal feeling is that people are intially intimidated by it and after using it once or twice for a relitively easy recipe, give up feeling it isn't worth the trouble, or worse, check out the instruction book and throw in the towel before ever even firing up a burner. Frankly, I wish I could talk to those people and tell them to hang in there, because once you get the hang of it, not only does it become very easy to use, but once you master it, it really can save you a ton of time and energy. However, for me, the real gem in cooking with the Turbo Cooker is the very unique and unbeatable flavor the cooker infuses into meat when you cook it, and the incredible caramelization that the pan somehow creates. The first thing I cooked was a rib eye steak, and it melted in my mouth and was without a doubt the most succulent, flavorful piece of meat I have ever eaten.
The base unit gets overlooked, in my opinion, in lieu of touting the amazing technology of the domed lid. The lid is definately different, and the way the shape creates the steam process is so simple one wonders why no one came up with it before. So yes, I suppose the domed lid is the star of the show, but that is not the thing that really wowed me about the Turbo Cooker. You can achieve the convection effect with any number of products on the market, and while the ability to cook more than one item is nice, whatever it is about the base pan itself that creates the killer flavor is something you won't find anywhere else. THAT is what got me hooked on the Turbo Cooker.
I have had mine now for several years, and recently purchased a new one when they went on sale on QVC so that when mine bit the dust I would not have to go a day without one. So, if you have not purchased one, I would highly recommend that you do, and if you have one sitting around collecting dust, get it out and get cooking!!!
What should you make, you are wondering? Okay, confession time. Since mine did not come with the recipe cards or video, and since I seem to have some deficiency when it comes to following instruction books, I did a quick once through with it and never opened the book again. From there, it was a lot of trial and a little error and virtually everything I make in it is from recipes I already had or just easy, everyday meals. I would suggest your first recipe be a meat recipe so that you can experience the amazing flavor that comes from using the Turbo Cooker. Any steak, pork, roast or chicken will be great, just wait and see.
If you are a little timid about getting started, I will begin here by adding one of my favorite chicken recipes below for you to try.
One of the main reasons I began this blog is because as I searched for new recipes for the Turbo Cooker on the Internet I found that there just weren't that many, and what was there for the most part was scattered all across cyberspace. There also didn't seem to be many areas where cooks could discuss the recipes and how to best use the cooker. I posted a few recipes on my Facebook Blog but thought it might be better to devote a blog entirely to the Turbo Cooker. I hope that this will help a little, and anyone reading is welcome to share my recipes and/or send me recipes and I will add them here with credit for them. All I ask is that anyone who uses a recipe, whether it is mine or someone else's submission, that you use it, share it, and give credit where credit is due. Please keep in mind that ALL recipes and photos are the property of the submitter and they are not to be sold for profit.
Also, a word about photos. I am not a photographer, so please forgive my lack of skills in that area. I will do my best to post decent photos of any recipe I add here, but please don't expect them to be professional quality. :) Thanks!
Thank you for reading, and I hope to meet a lot of other happy TURBO COOKS!
A while back I was a big fan of KFC grilled chicken, opting for that rather than the very high calorie/high fat fried fried chicken offerings. As much as I liked it, I had it just a few times as I found it to be extremely expensive and not very consistent in 'goodness'. One time the pieces would be meaty and juicy, the next lacking in meatiness and very dry. Wondering if it might be possible that someone had discovered 'the secret' to it's preparation and great flavor, I went searching the Internet, and sure enough, there were several recipes claiming to recreate the popular new offering from KFC. I tried several, and with the exception of one, I was very disappointed. I don't have a grill so chose to use my Turbo Cooker instead, and after some trial and error with the one recipe I felt came close, I came up with a recipe that for me is a wonderfully close representation of their grilled chicken (minus the grill marks). The flavor is great, and doing it at home allowed me to choose the chicken pieces I preferred. After some trial and error on that front, I found that the thighs come out the best.
So, if anyone is a fan of KFC's grilled chicken and would like to give it a try at home, here is a recipe you might like. Enjoy!
Recipe #1 CopyCat KFC Grilled Chicken
8 chicken pieces of your choice (I used thighs)
Combine:
6 cups low sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. coarse ground pepper
1 tsp. crushed dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Put chicken pieces in a bowl, cover with mixture and marinate for 1 hour in refrigerator.
To cook the chicken, I used my Turbo Cooker pan. If you have one I would recommend using that as the convection keeps the chicken very juicy and the flavor from the caramelizing is amazing. If you have a convection oven, I would suggest using that if you don't have a Turbo Cooker.
Alternatively, you can grill outdoors or in on a grill pan, in a cast iron skillet or in the oven but I haven't tried it any way other than in my Turbo cooker, so I can't speak for how it will come out.
In the Turbo Cooker, place the thighs meaty side down and add 3/4 of the marinate, cover, close the valve and cook on high until the liquid boils. Next, turn heat to medium cooking for about 15-20 minutes until the liquid reduces. Turn heat to medium low and open the valve. Add a little more of the marinate, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan and keep the chicken from sticking and let the chicken brown until it begins to caramelize, then turn it and cook for 5 minutes on the other side, again adding a little more liquid if it begins to stick.
(cooking times will differ depending on your method for cooking and type of stove, I use gas)
Remove and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
(I also made a gravy from the drippings once, which also came out really yummy, but due to calories and fat I generally don't use gravy. If you'd like to try it, just heat the drippings until they come to a boil and thicken with a cornstarch and water mixture, whisking every few minutes to keep it from clumping.)
Depending on my mood, I have added veggies when cooking the chicken, steaming corn on the cob or other vegetables on the steaming rack. Feel free to try your favorites with this recipe!
Do you have any other recipes for the turbo?
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